"Transition to Circular Economy Is Not an Option but a Necessity"…International Community Unites at P4G

P4G Seoul Green Future Summit 'Basic Session on Circular Economy'

Minister Han Jeong-ae of the Ministry of Environment is delivering the keynote speech at the '2021 P4G Seoul Green Future Summit Circular Economy Basic Session'.

[Asia Economy Reporter Joo Sang-don] At the basic session on circular economy held on the 31st during the 2021 P4G Seoul Green Future Summit, the necessity of transitioning to a circular economy was emphasized.

P4G stands for Partnership for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030. It is a multilateral cooperation communication platform (network) aimed at accelerating green growth and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through expanded collaboration among public and private institutions worldwide.

This basic session on circular economy, themed "Transition to a zero-waste society through circular economy strategies," was prepared by the Ministry of Environment together with the Korea Environmental Industry & Technology Institute to discuss solutions and cooperation measures for the transition to a circular economy with governments, companies, international organizations, NGOs, and experts worldwide.

On the day, Minister of Environment Han Jeong-ae delivered the opening speech titled "Carbon Neutrality and Korea's Circular Economy Policy Direction," emphasizing that "carbon neutrality is a prerequisite for human survival, and transitioning from the existing linear economy to a circular economy is necessary to establish a carbon-neutral and sustainable economic model."

Following this, Lea Vermelin, Minister of Environment of Denmark, and Rolf Payet, Executive Secretary of the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions, gave keynote speeches on "Denmark's Circular Economy Strategy" and "International Cooperation Measures for Transitioning to a Circular Economy," respectively.

In the participant discussion, Professor James Hooper of Dongguk University chaired the session titled "Challenges and Solutions for Transitioning to a Circular Economy," where governments, companies, international organizations, NGOs, and experts discussed concrete action plans for ▲ technological innovation by companies ▲ raising consumer awareness ▲ institutional improvements and policy support by governments ▲ building global stakeholder cooperation. Notably, the Netherlands plans to establish a cooperative system with five key sectors?plastics, manufacturing, construction, biomass, and consumer goods?to transition to a circular economy, presenting a specific goal to reduce the use of virgin raw materials by 50% by 2030.

Minister Han stated, "We will strive to make 2021 the inaugural year of the circular economy by discovering and supporting leading models of circular economy and working towards a fair transition to a circular economy," adding, "We will also contribute to international cooperation by actively participating in the 'Global Alliance on Circular Economy and Resource Efficiency (GACERE),' launched in February mainly by the European Union (EU) and others."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.